Road grader



' June 23, 1925.

1,543,645 R. C. REDPATH ROAD GRADER Filed Sept. 4. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l .fi 8 32 2g v Mikasa? June 23, 1925.

R. c. REDPATH ROAD GRADER Filed sept. 4. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 23, 1 1925.

nutren STATES PATENT OFFICE.- i

ROBERT C. REDPATH, GE OLATHE, KANSAS.

ROAD GRADER.

`Application led September 4, 1923. Serial No. 669,739.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, ROBERT C. REDPATH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glathe, county of Johnson, in the State of Kansas, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Road Graders, of

which the following is acomplete specili-l cation. Y

rlhis invention relates to road graders and has for its prime object to-'produce a machine in which the drag element is utilized as the support for the 'blade and so related to the framework that, up and down movement of the latter cannot affect the blade which, therefore, cuts ed humps or raised and Clears or passes freely over low places in the roadway.

Another object is to provide means for raising the blade to inoperative position -2G when it. is desired to utilize the dragalone. Astill further object is to provide means for adjusting the drag element to an'inclined position to permit of the passage of 'the rear portion over the ground without contact therewith, as for example where it is undesirable to increase the height of the crown line of the road.

llVith the objects named in view, the invention consists in certain novel and'useful features of'construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; andin order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a machineembodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged face view of the drag and cutting blade forming a partof the invention, partly broken away to illustrate parts otherwise hidden;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the machine.

Figure is an enlarged section on the line lVlV of Figure 3;

ln the said drawings, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the gures, l represents longitudinal members of a tractor or other suitable frame, said fra-me members being journaled on an axle 2 supported by a pair of tractor wheels 3. The side Aframe members 1 are secured together at their rear ends by a cross frame l which'projects some dsta-nceibeyond one of the sides (see Figure 2) and atvasuitable point forward of the axle one yof the side frame members 1 is .provided with an outwardly projectingrarm .5 which,.,in conjunction with the projecting end of the cross frame e, provides suitablelsecuring means for a longitudinal bar '6 parallel to the frame members v1. Projecting at right angles to the bar 6 are a pair of bars 7, which are secured together at their extremities by a longitudinalfbar '8. AAll -of the parte, heretofore described are combined to provide a rigid' and strong .framework :for certain operative parts hereinafter vdescribed, and. it is. to be understood in this connection, however, that any suitable sort of properlybraced framework maybe employed.VV Y Y l Depending'from the bar 6 .at a point substantially in line with the axle of the carrying wheels is a pull post 9, and .in'substantially transverseY alinem'ent therewith and depending from the member.' 8 is a similar pull post 10, said vposts being braced by brace'members 11. l

Secured to the lower endof the post 10 is a short length of pull chain 12 secured at its free end to one end of a drag beam 13 of any suitable or preferred length andinaterial. At a point relatively close to the end to which the Apull chain is secured, the drag 13, which is illustrated as of channel iron form, is provided with a suitable filler block 11i to which is secured achannel brachet 15, provided with outwardly projecting y ears 16.k The ears 16 are formed with registering openings for pivotal reception of' the vertical portion of a right-angle shaped arm 17, reduced at its lower end as at 17 to provide a shoulder 18 for abutment against lower ear 16 of the bracket 15, to prevent upward movement of the drag on the arm 17. A washer 2O is iitted on the reduced end of the arm 17, and said drag is retained in position by means of a pin 21 underlying the washer'.

The other end of thel right-angle shaped arm 17 is pivotally secured to a headed pin 22 rearwardly projecting from the depending post- 9. In this connection it will be apparent that the arml? will counteract all tendency of the adjacent end of the drag 13 to m'ove rearwardly, and that the pull chain 12 will receive the entire angular or dragging strain. I

lin order to maintain the rear end of the drag 13 in proper position, and also to pro- Aend ot the arm is recois rated sleeve member Qc ai position by means of a pin engagi' g registering pertorations in the sleeve and arm. The other end of the sleeve 26 is rigidly secured in any suitable manner to an arr 28 which is provided with an eye or oop in its end slidingly engaged on a keeper 29 secured to one of the trame members i, see Figure l.

From the construction above-described, itwill be apparent that the drag is free to 'tollow the surface of the ground irrespective oi" the vertical movements oil the carrying wheels 3 and the tran'ieworlr oi" the machine, as the drag will be tree i'or up and down movements, the ends ot arms 17 and 28 having limited vertical pivotal movement on pin and keeper respectively. lit will also be evident that as the arms 17 and 25 have pivotal connection with the drag beam,

the angle or the drag with respect to the machine may be adjusted as found desirable through use oi' the telescopic connectionbetween arm 25 and sleeve ln order to provide means whereby the ends of the drag may be elevated as found desirable, either to accommodate crowns of varying pitch or for transportation, a short length of chain 3 is connected to the arm 25, the other end ot said chain being. secured to one end of a rocher bar 3l which is centrally mounted on an extension 2L, rearwardly projecting trom the main framework. The other end ot the rocher bar 3l is headed and projects through a slot formed in operating lever Sfimounted on a headed pin 35 carried by the framework rlhe opposite end ot the lever is 'formed i yith a handle 56 which is in convenient position 'for operation by the operator or the machine who will normally stand 4on a plat- `lorm. Si' carried by the drag beam. t will be evident that ii downward movement is applied to the lever 3d, that through the connections described, the rear end of the drag will be raised from contact with theV road. il it is desired to maintain the rear end oit the in its elevated position, a short length oi" the chain 38 secured to an extension 39 rearwardly projecting from the framework temporarily engaged with the handle 36.

ln order to provide means for the elevation ot the '.ront end of thedrag, a short smit #l0 is ournaled in the rearwardly pronsaaeae jecting end of the trame member 8 and in an arm Lll carried by the 'frame member 7,

said shaiit being provided at one end with an operating wheel 4&0 equipped with a gravitj,r dog mechanism t3 vfor maintaining the shaift in any desired position ot adjustment. Secured to the front end o1L Athe beam 13 is one end of a lifting chain Lift, the other end thereoi being engaged with a shaft 4l() as will be readily understood. F rom the above description, it will be evident, that the litting devices for the beam are of an extremely ble nature and will not, therefore, inre with the vertical movements of the drag in following the irregularities ci' the roadway.

in order to provide scraping or leveling means whereby the suriace oi' the roadway may be smoothed, regardless or' the up and down movements ot the supporting wheels and trameworlt, il have found it desirable to attach a cutting blade Ll5 directly to the drag beam "i3, and also to provide. meansA Vfor adjusting' said blade to regulate the depth et cut or to elevate the same when it is desired to use the drag alone. Y

'li blade is secured to and projects some distance beyond the front end of the drag in a convenient position for the production or a drainage ditch or the like, along the side or the road, the dirt cut by said blade` traveling therealong and being transferred irom its rear end to the drag by which it is distributed over the road and i'ills up the` low places therein as common in the art. j

The attaching and regulating means tor the blade are as follows: Secured to the rear et the blade near its liront end are two series'oit ears i6 and l? in vertical alinement and rigidly secured to the stem of a T-shaped iron #i8 adapted for vertical reciprocation transversely ot the tace of the drag 13 and held in position against the drag by,

means ci' a pair or guides 49. The upper end of the T-iron is secured to a link 50, pivotally secured at its other end to an operating lever 51 Jrulcrumed in a standard 52 carried by the drag 13, and being equipped with any suitable latch mechah nism for cooperation with a sector 5d upwardly projecting from the drag, whereby the frontV end ot the blade may be vertically adjusted to regulate the depth of cut. ln this connection it is desirable to point out that the 'iT-iron 4:8 lits loosely in the guides i9 so as to accommodate tilting of the blade pending its vertical adjustment, as will hereinarter appear. Y

vecured to the rear side ot the other end of the blade are two pairs of ears 55 between the` extremities of which is rigidlysecured a ertical bar 56, said Ybar abutting against the tace oi the drag 13 and being received within a longitudinal strap guide 57 rigidly Sirf secured to said drag about midway its width. The strap is of such length as to allow of relatively great tilting movement of the blade with respect to the beam to permit the forward end of the blade to be inclined downwardly, see the dotted lines Figure 4, for the production of a ditch 'or the like 'along the side of the road. Secured to the upper end of the bar 56 is a link 58 pivotally connected at its upper end to an operating lever 59 which is fulcrumed at its end in a standard 60 secured to the drag. The lever 59 is provided with any suitable latch mechanism 6l for cooperation with a sector 62, whereby 'the rear end of the cutting blade may be vertically regulated.

It is thought no further recapitulation of the operation of the device is necessary, other than to point out that the fact that as the beam is entirely free to follow the irregularities of the road regardless of the movements of the supporting wheels and framework, the operation of the cutting blade carried thereby will be even, the depth of cut being regulated through the levers 5l and 59 and being maintained through the fact that the blade is carried by the drag.

It will be evident from the construction above described that the blade may be lifted from contact with the ground when found de-V sirable, and that the beam may also be elevated and adjusted both vertically and longitudinally to accommodate work of varying character and under different conditions, and also that when the drag is elevated the blade is also necessarily elevated as it is carried thereby. Y

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have produced a machine of the character described which possesses all of the features of advantage set forth as desirable, and while I have described and claimed the preferred embodiment of the same, I reserve the right to makeV all changes properly falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a wheeled-frame, a pair of arms pivotally secured to said wheeledframe, a drag beam pivotally'secured to the ends of said arms, one of said arms being adjustable in length, means for elevating said beam. from the roadway, and a vertically-adjustable cutting blade carried by .1

ROBERT C. REDPATH.l

for each endy 

